{"id":20847,"url":"https://alion.io/job/cowboyspacecorp-software-engineer","title":"Software Engineer","company":{"id":8929,"name":"Cowboy Space","domain":"cowboyspace.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/cowboyspace","size_band":"501-1000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Ashby","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":75,"open_postings":5,"ghost_share":0.2,"stale_share":0.4,"repost_share":0.2,"time_to_fill_p50_days":47,"computed_at":"2026-10-26T05:57:25Z"}},"role":"Backend","role_family":"Backend","seniority":"middle","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Kent, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":100000,"max":200000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":200000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":3,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"C++","optional":false},{"name":"Python","optional":false},{"name":"Rust","optional":false},{"name":"TPU","optional":false},{"name":"Linux","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-05-10T23:30:33Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-09-02","last_verified_at":"2026-10-26T16:23:38Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":168,"trust":{"level":"stale","repost_count":0,"flags":["stale"],"days_open":168},"description":"About Cowboy Space Corp:\nMission\nCowboy Space Corporation is solving the global energy crisis by building the infrastructure for abundant, resilient space-based solar energy. We are tackling one of humanity’s most complex engineering challenges with a world-class team dedicated to delivering a revolutionary power platform. Cowboy Space Corporation is transforming how civilization powers, computes and connects - from orbit to Earth.\nBackground\nCowboy Space Corporation is building the infrastructure to power and connect the orbital economy. Our modular, scalable satellites collect sunlight in Low Earth Orbit to enable multiple integrated applications: transmitting energy via infrared lasers (space-to-earth and space-to-space), powering on-orbit high-performance computing clusters (GPU/TPU), and providing secure, high bandwidth optical data transport.\nCurrent energy and data systems rely on complex logistics and outdated infrastructure. Cowboy Space Corporation overcomes these challenges by enabling direct, on-demand, secure, and scalable energy distribution and data processing from space. This will revolutionize how we operate in orbit and on Earth, supporting the rapidly expanding space industrial base, ISAM (In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing) operations, remote regions, and military bases.\nBaiju Bhatt founded Cowboy Space Corporation in 2024. Inspired by his father’s work with NASA Langley Research Center, Baiju earned his B.S. in Physics and M.S. in Mathematics at Stanford before co-founding Robinhood, now a public company that has helped over 20 million Americans access the financial system. Cowboy Space Corporation has raised ~$365 million from Index Ventures, Interlagos, Construct Ventures, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, NEA, and others.\nThis is an ambitious mission that demands extraordinary talent. Cowboy Space Corporation ’s team has worked at places like SpaceX, Blue Origin, Stoke Space, Astranis and NASA, and is based in San Carlos, CA. If you're ready to solve complex technical challenges and help build the most important energy company in the world, we want to hear from you.\nThe Role\nAs a Software Engineer at Cowboy Space Corp., you will build the systems that control, operate, and scale our spacecraft and ground infrastructure. This includes flight software, simulation, mission control systems, and the tooling needed to test and operate hardware in real time.\nThis is a highly ownership-driven role where you’ll work across the stack-from low-level systems interacting with hardware to higher-level services that enable mission operations. You’ll collaborate closely with hardware teams (propulsion, power, avionics) to bring up systems, validate performance, and ensure reliable operation in demanding environments.\nResponsibilities\nDesign, build, and maintain software for spacecraft systems, ground systems, and mission operations\n\nDevelop flight software that interfaces directly with hardware and supports real-time control\n\nBuild simulation and testing frameworks to validate system behavior before deployment\n\nCollaborate with hardware engineers to integrate, test, and debug systems end-to-end\n\nWrite performant, reliable code for resource-constrained and mission-critical environments\n\nDevelop internal tools to support testing, automation, and operational workflows\n\nParticipate in system bring-up, integration, and launch preparation activities\n\nMonitor and support on-orbit operations, including debugging and performance optimization\n\nContribute to system architecture decisions across software and hardware boundaries\n\nBalance speed, reliability, and scalability in a fast-paced development environment\n\nBasic Qualifications\nBachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related field\n\n3+ years of experience building production software systems\n\nStrong programming skills in languages such as C++, Python, or Rust\n\nExperience working close to hardware, distributed systems, or real-time systems\n\nSolid understanding of systems fundamentals (operating systems, networking, concurrency)\n\nExperience working in fast-paced, engineering-driven environments\n\nPreferred Qualifications\nExperience with flight software, embedded systems, or robotics\n\nBackground in aerospace, autonomous systems, or high-reliability environments\n\nExperience building simulation frameworks or hardware-in-the-loop testing systems\n\nFamiliarity with Linux-based systems and low-level debugging\n\nExperience with cloud infrastructure or distributed systems for mission operations\n\nTrack record of owning systems end-to-end in high-ownership environments\n\nWhy This Role Is Different\nWork across the full stack-from hardware interfaces to mission operations\n\nDirect impact on real spacecraft and on-orbit performance\n\nFast iteration cycles with tight hardware/software integration\n\nHigh ownership and autonomy in a small, high-caliber team\n\nOpportunity to help define software systems for a new class of space infrastructure\n\nCompensation and Benefits\nThe salary range for this position is$100,000 - $200,000 annually. The actual base salary offered will depend on factors such as job-related skills, experience, qualifications, and internal equity.\nEquity in Cowboy Space Corp.\n\nEmployees and their eligible dependents may enroll in medical, dental, and vision insurance\n\n401(k) retirement savings plan\n\nPaid time off\n\n10 paid holidays per calendar year\n\nPaid parental leave\n\nRelocation assistance if applicable\n\nDaily lunch in the office and a fully stocked kitchen with beverages and snacks\n\nITAR Requirements\nExport Control Requirement: To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), applicants must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about ITAR here.\n\nDisclaimer\nThis job description is a summary of the primary duties and responsibilities of the job and position. It is not intended to be a comprehensive or all-inclusive listing of duties and responsibilities. Contents are subject to change at Cowboy Space Corp.’s discretion.\nCowboy Space Corp. is an equal employment opportunity employer. We consider individuals for employment or promotion according to their skills, abilities and experience. Cowboy Space Corp. is committed to complying with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religious creed, age, national origin, ancestry, physical, mental or developmental disability, sex (which includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and medical conditions relating to pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding), veteran status, military status, marital or registered domestic partnership status, medical condition (including cancer or genetic characteristics), genetic information, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, as well as any other category protected by federal, state or local laws.","description_format":"text","description_chars":7105,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":3,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":true,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Equity","Parental leave","Relocation assistance","Retirement plans","Vision insurance"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":true,"industries":["Satellite Manufacturing","Space Services","AI Compute & Inference"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-05-10T23:30:33Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":11,"band":"cold","label":"Long shot","p_open":1,"p_active":0.408,"p_room":0.28,"age_days":168,"expected_fill_days":47,"reasons":["conf:3","velocity","win:tail","crowd:"],"computed_at":"2026-10-26T05:57:25Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":200000,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/cowboyspacecorp-software-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/cowboyspacecorp-software-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-26T19:17:26Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":26021,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-27T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":8929},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=8929"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fcowboyspacecorp-software-engineer"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fcowboyspacecorp-software-engineer"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fcowboyspacecorp-software-engineer"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/cowboyspacecorp-software-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fcowboyspacecorp-software-engineer"}]}